Number Sense

Round to the Nearest Ten

With children having developed a fair sense of numbers in the previous grades, it is time for them to learn the skill of rounding numbers. This fun rounding numbers games easily fill-in for your regular worksheets. Grade 3 children begin by learning to round numbers to the nearest ten. Rounding numbers helps children perform mathematical operations mentally and verify the reasonableness of their answers.

What’s inside?

- Begin with rounding two-digit numbers to the nearest ten and then move on to rounding three-digit numbers.

- For both two- and three-digit numbers, identify the two tens between which a given number lies, round a number to the nearest ten, and identify the number from a group of numbers that rounds to a given ten.

- Learn to round numbers to the nearest ten both with and without the help of a number line.

Real-World Application

People usually allow themselves 10 minutes to walk down a distance that may actually take them only about 8 minutes. Similarly, it is common for people to set their goal posts at multiples of ten - vowing to read at least 30 books in a year as a new year resolution or a soccer player celebrating his success when he hits 20, 30, or 50 goals. Clearly, there is something satisfying about round numbers. They are easy to remember and simple to process.

What’s next?

With children now being able to round numbers to the nearest ten, they can easily progress to round numbers to the nearest hundred and accomplish 3-digit addition and 3-digit subtraction.

Cool Fact

Have you ever wondered why prices of goods at a supermarket are not rounded (and mostly end with .99)? Well, since we read from left to right, the first number sticks with us and we perceive the item to be cheaper. And, retail stores seem to make the most of this pricing tactic.

Common Core Alignment

3.NBT.1Use place value understanding to round whole numbers to the nearest 10 or 100.